Blackberry Stock (BB.T BBRY.Nasdaq): Winner in hiding

Is this another Nortel? Is this another bum stock waiting to take down investors and reward short sellers? I pretty much thought so. To make matters worse I was and have been a long time Blackberry user, waited with baited breath for the new release of the Z10, then bought it. Hook, line and sinker. The first indicator of problems was the screen kept freezing up. Then there was the displeasure of the spell checker continuously incorrectly correcting me. I was ready to produce my very own home made video of a blackberry being smashed with a hammer, a hit on youtube for sure!But then John Chen took over. Then John Chen announced he was staying for the long haul. Then, despite a horrific quarterly report outlining the troubles of the Z10 and its dismal sales record, Mr Chen outlined HIS plans for the future of Blackberry. As well, one by one Mr Chen invited and was successful in bringing on board some pretty gifted talent from previous turnaround success stories he handled. The real kicker for me was when I downloaded the newest version operating system for my Z10…problems seem to have vanished. Spell checker is not so rude, screen never freezes up, and the new features are pretty cool, to say the least. As per the Nortel comparison: The executive of Nortel were as corrupt as could be. They took the money and ran. They misreported/misrepresented the companies record and cost us billions. I don't see Blackberry doing the same thing. Not to mention that the stock has been skyrocketing…short sellers are dispersing in droves…Me thinks this is a winner in hiding. We'll see. I'm pretty tempered by market disappointments of the past, so I'm not rushing in but my eye is on this one. RM

This is me at Holly and Roy's cottage painting sketch canvases of Canoe Lake in the summer of 2011.

This sketch above became this finished painting below

The Pine Tree Painter.

How did I become known as the Pine Tree Painter? You could say I paint a lot of Pine Trees, that would be true. I paint a lot of other things too, but Pine Trees, Spruce Trees, Birch and others seem to be a continuous string in what i do. I just like the way they stand there like a custodian of the land. or a greeter to nature. So, I continue down the path with the Pine Tree Painter name on my head, It's ok. Robert McAffee